DAWN STEELE became an African queen for her role in safari drama Wild At Heart...but not for the first time.

Filming in the game reserves of South Africa meant the stunning Scots star returned to what was once her family's home.

The former Sea Of Souls actress emigrated to Johannesburg with her parents when she was just four but they failed to settle.

The family stayed less than six months before returning home to Glasgow - and Dawn can't remember a thing about her stay.

She said: "My mum was pregnant with my brother and I think she wanted to be back home.

"They were in the middle of Johannesburg and it was at the height of apartheid.

"I think that was one of the reasons they couldn't settle.

"We came back and had to stay with my granny because they had sold up everything.

"It sounds exciting but I have no memory of it.

I think I'd have had a very different life."

Dawn, 33, appears in the fourth series of the popular ITV1 drama from next Sunday, playing vet Alice Collins.

She fills the gap left by star Amanda Holden, whose character Sarah perished in a fire in the last series.

Filming took place at the end of last year in the beautiful Glen Afric game reserve, which is about 40 minutes drive from Johannesburg.

Both the setting and its wildlife left a lasting impression.

Dawn said: "It was a lifechanging experience. I was crying loads. It's quite an experience and it really does humble you.

"We worked with an amazing crew, some of whom had to get up at 3.30am to get to the set from Soweto, and they were so happy.

Giraffe

"It makes you very grateful for what you have.

"The lasting experience is always the animals and seeing them first-hand. They are only trained to a point. Some have been hand-reared but we film on a game park so they roam around.

"You could be sitting having lunch and Hamley the giraffe could walk up. It's magical. You never get used to it.

"You come to work and the giraffe is waiting at the make-up truck trying to get in - his neck is craning in through the door.

"You just can't believe it sometimes.

After I came back I thought, 'God, I was working with a giraffe yesterday.' It's so weird.

"But I never tired of the sight of it - baby elephants, baby warthogs - I got obsessed with them.

"They are so cute. That's when you take stock and think, 'I am so lucky. I can't believe I'm doing this.'"

Even though she was working with wild animals, Dawn never felt scared.

She said: "When we filmed the opening titles I was watching elephants swim. It's amazing but sometimes they will go for you.

"The main thing is to be confident, which is daunting at first, to always be aware and to listen to the animal handler, who was always on hand to tell you what to do.

"I'm more scared of creepy crawlies than anything else."

Joining Wild At Heart - which also stars Stephen Tomkinson and Lucy-Jo Hudson - meant Dawn broke the old showbiz rule of never working with animals or children.

Her character Alice has a daughter, Charlotte, played by Megan Martell.

Dawn had never played a mum before but her actor boyfriend Paul Blair - best known as parkie McAllister in sitcom Dear Green Place - assured her she would have no problems.

She joked: "When the producers said she was a mum I thought, 'Am I old enough?' Paul was like, 'Yes, you are.

Twice over.'"

Dawn had no problems with either the wildlife or kids - but handling a gun was another matter.

She said: "On my first day I was told, 'This is Megan who plays your daughter, there's an elephant and here's a gun. Can you fire it please?'

"It was quite overwhelming. But you just have to be brave about it.

"You can't show fear, especially round animals because they really can smell it. You have to be really confident.

"There's a lot of hanging about with animals. You wait on them to do one thing which might only last a second on televison but you have 45 minutes of waiting for it to happen. But you quickly get used to that.

"But you are waiting on an elephant, how cool is that? It was never less than amazing."

Dawn has no plans for children of her own yet - although she has just adopted a Welsh terrier called Murphy.

She admits she missed her dog more than anyone while she was in South Africa - but only because Paul, who she lives with in London, visited her twice.

Busy

They travelled to Mozambique and Cape Town when she had time off.

Dawn's friends and family also flew out, including her parents.

She said: "Glen Afric is some way away but they had a great time."

Dawn has enjoyed a busy and challenging career since being spotted at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama for the role of Lexie in Monarch Of The Glen.

Her other credits include Tinsel Town, The Key and even Comic Relief

Does Fame Academy.

If she wasn't acting, she'd love to have been a vet thanks to her experiences on Wild At Heart - but only if she could handle her emotions.

Dawn said: "I loved putting on the operating scrubs and pretending to do operations. It made me feel important - like I really was saving lives.

"I never thought about being a vet when I was growing up but I would now.

"I don't think I'm intelligent enough though - I struggled to even say some of the big veterinary terms.

"I'm a bit of cry baby as well. I even cried when I took my dog to the vet.

He yelped and I had to wait outside.

"I was in bits when we found a dead baby zebra on set. It had been kicked in the face by one of the males and was just lying there. I started wailing."